National Water Grid,Peninsular Water Grid
Dr. S. Kalyanaraman
Former Sr. Exec., Asian Development Bank
Sarasvati Nadi Research Centre
May 2014
IMPACT
Create 9 crore acres of addl
wetland in 3 years’ time per SC
directive
Distribute the 9 cr. Acres to 9 cr. Landless family @1 acre perfamily
With assured water to every farm, every village home, 24X7,365 day of the year, ensure clean water supply and
Triple agri. Prodn with 3 or 4 crops per year on the arable landof Bharatam
Mitigate annual flood damages in NE, integrate groundwater,desalinated water, lakes and tanks in Grid, employment for 365days under MNREGA under Grid project
Use only flood waters of Brahmaputra to reach uptoKanyakumari by gravity flows
Inter-linking? Not an end in itselfNeeded: National Water Grid (Peninsular Grid)
Potential for drinking water supplies to coastal towns/cities/industrial towns such asTiruppur by desalination of sea-water
Imperative of re-charging and sustaining ground-water tables, tank-networks
Restoring kudi-
maraamattu (Peoples’ self
-help)
Forestation of uplands (Sahyadri ranges)
Sharing of scarcity? Needed National Water Grid, to bring Brahmaputra toKanyakumari
7 Peninsular rivers: 45 mhm (rains) 8.75 lakh sq. km. (delta area)
Brahmaputra: 53.7 mhm (glaciers) 1.94 lakh sq. km. (delta area)
Potential for adding 11 m. ha. Under command area of irrigation (4.5 m. ha. directlythrough canal network; 6.5 m. ha. through tank network)
Hydro-power generation: 2754 MW
National Waterway, Peninsular component: 1,000 kms.
Need for bringing waters from Hoganekal to the uplands of TN, Karnataka, Kerala
Need for a contour canal on Sahyadri ranges (paralleling the Konkan Railway)
Water management by peoples’ participation, designed as Peoples’ Project
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